Written Answers Wednesday 5 April 2006

Scottish Executive

Drug Misuse

Mr Frank McAveety (Glasgow Shettleston) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what procedures are in place to assist schools and agencies to deal with pupils involved in serious drug misuse.

Hugh Henry: In schools the Guidelines for the Management of Incidents of Drug Misuse provides head teachers and other school staff with guidance on responding to information, allegation or evidence that children are misusing drugs within the school premises or grounds. The guidelines also suggest that all schools should have written procedures in place for dealing with drug related incidents.

  Getting Our Priorities Right, guidance issued in 2003 to all agencies sets out detailed advice to practitioners on helping them decide, in relation to drug abuse, when a child needs help. It also includes information on supporting parenting skills, assessment, inter agency working and information sharing, thresholds and procedures for deciding when to remove children, and guidance on care plans.

  The Safe and Well handbook on child protection in school identifies signs of drug misuse and sets out clear steps to take where there are concerns over the welfare of a child. All school staff have a role in ensuring children’s safety and the designated child protection co-ordinator in school co-ordinates information and action about concerns raised, including liaison with other agencies to support investigations and child welfare. Education authorities and schools follow local child protection procedures, for which Safe and Well provides a benchmark.

  All children and young people at risk who appear to need compulsory measures of supervision must be referred to the Principal Reporter under section 52 (2) of the Children (S) Act 1995. The main sources of referrals are the police and social work, but other agencies such as health or education can make a referral, as well as any member of the public or even the child him/herself.

  The reporter will decide either to take no further action; to convene a children’s hearing; or to refer to the authority for advice,guidance or assistance as appropriate. If a children’s hearing decides that compulsory supervision is necessary, the local authority is then responsible for giving effect to any supervision requirement. A wide range of conditions may be attached to a supervision requirement in the best interests of the child.

  The Executive intends to publish, within the next few months, an action plan which will address the needs of children affected by problem substance misuse within the family. The action plan will look at ways of encouraging better multi-agency working and communication, a process in which the schools sector will be a key player.

Libraries

Stewart Stevenson (Banff and Buchan) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many libraries there were in each of the last 10 years, broken down by local authority area.

Patricia Ferguson: Details of the number of libraries in each local authority area are not held centrally by the Scottish Executive. Information on library provision across Scotland may be obtained from the Scottish Library and Information Council (SLIC) at Building C, Brandon Gate, Leechlee Road, Hamilton, ML3 6AU. Telephone 01698 458 888.

Pollution

Carolyn Leckie (Central Scotland) (SSP): To ask the Scottish Executive what plans it has to initiate an investigation into the link between landfill sites and environmental pollution and, in particular, whether there is a relationship with birth defects.

Ross Finnie: A review of the environmental and health effects of waste management was carried out by the environmental consultants Enviros and the University of Birmingham, and was published by the Department for Environmental and Rural Affairs in May 2004.

  With regard to birth defects, the review found no evidence to suggest a causal link.

  We have no plans to initiate any further investigations.